Last year he raced his way into the Sprint All-Star Race thanks to a win in the Sprint Showdown and this year AJ Allmendinger is looking to repeat. Driving the No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge, Allmendinger posted the fastest time in Friday’s lone practice session for Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Showdown.

The California-native ran his fastest lap on his twentieth and final circuit around the 1.5-mile Lowe’s Motor Speedway, going to the top of the charts with a lap of 29.634 seconds at a speed of 182.223 mph. Last year, Allmendinger led 21 of the 40 laps en route to his first NASCAR victory – although it was not a points paying event.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. was second-fastest in the day’s session thanks to a lap of 29.660 seconds at 182.063 mph. Casey Mears was third on the board, while Joe Nemechek and Elliott Sadler rounded out the top-5.

Qualifying for the Sprint All-Star Showdown is scheduled for 5:10pm E.T. later this evening.

Saturday’s Showdown provides thirty-five drivers the chance to race their way into the main event. The top-two finishers from the Showdown will transfer into the Sprint All-Star Race and one other fan will be chosen through a fan vote.

Be sure to check into HardcoreRaceFans.com all weekend long for all the latest news from the Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

COMPLETE PRACTICE RESULTS

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